Old salts loom large over Hobart race

Adrian Warren and Miles Godfrey

Octogenarian owners Bob Oatley and Syd Fischer loom large over this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race, which promises to be a wild affair, even if the weather isn't.

In one corner is 85-year-old Fischer, a two-time line honours and once overall race winner, who has chartered last year's line honours winner, Investec Loyal, which he has renamed Ragamuffin Loyal.

In the other corner is Bob Oatley, 84, the owner of Wild Oats XI, a five-time line honours winner, overall victor in 2005 and race record holder.

Their majestic super maxis have finished first and second across the line the past two years, swapping positions from 2010 to 2011.

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Lahana, third across the line in the past two races and 2003 line honours winner Wild Thing, complete the super maxi contingent from which the first boat to Hobart invariably comes.

No boat under 90-feet long has taken line honours since Sweden's Volvo 60 Assa Abloy headed the fleet into Hobart in 2001.

Both Wild Oats XI and Wild Thing have undergone extensive modifications since last year, with the latter deliberately staying away from her rivals and prying eyes.

When she finally hit Sydney Harbour last weekend, Wild Oats XI sidled up close by to get a peek at her upgraded old rival.

"They were interested to see what the opposition looks like, we've tried to stay under the radar a bit," Wild Thing skipper Grant Wharington said.

"I've got no idea what they say about us, I don't really care, but we think they will be surprised by the performance of the boat."

Commenting on Wild Thing, Wild Oats XI co-owner Sandy Oatley said: "It's had more cosmetic surgery than Oats has (had) so it'll be interesting to see what they do."

Ragamuffin Loyal has had comparatively little work done to it compared to some of her rivals.

One noticeable difference will be the reduction in celebrity sailors among her crew.

She headed south the last two years with a handful of sporting and media personalities, but the only celebrity aboard this year will be recently retired swimmer Geoff Huegill.

Lahana co-owner Peter Millard was realistic about the gulf in pure speed between Wild Oats XI and his vessel after it was streeted by Oatley's yacht in the Big Boat Challenge earlier this month.

"Wild Oats XI is a generation apart, we realise we are a bubbling V8 against a V12," Millard said.

Perhaps the only smaller boat capable of toppling the four leviathans of the 2012 fleet is the 70-foot Ichi Ban, a proven performer boasting a second and two thirds on her record.

"Obviously there's only a certain set of conditions where we would be faster than Wild Oats in the water and that would be in heavy upwind or almost upwind conditions above 25 to 30 knots," Ichi Ban's owner Matt Allen said.

As usual, trying to predict the overall race winner is far more difficult than tipping the line honours victor.

The 2012 fleet contains nine former handicap champions including the past four winners, headed by 2011 supremo Loki.

A small overseas contingent includes the race's first Lithuanian entrant, the 60-foot Ambersail.